Saga Matsu-ri: Osomatsu-san & Saga Prefecture Collaboration Event

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the birth of Fujio Akatsuka, the creator of “Osomatsu-kun”, a TV anime“Osomatsu-san” was broadcasted for half a year since October 2015. In “Osomatsu-san”, the sextuplet brats were grown up, and their too distinctive, unique characters were featured, making a big hit. It sparked an explosive boom especially among women.

Riding on this tide, a collaboration plan was hatched between Saga Prefecture and Osomatsu-san, focusing on the common element of “matsu”, pine trees. Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, is famous for its “Niji no matsubara”, known as one of the three most beautiful pine forests in Japan, and local specialty goods and place names relating to pine trees. The schedule of this event, “Saga Prefecture x Osomatsu-san: Saga Matsu-ri ～Saga is Awesome!!!!!～” (Matsu-ri is a play on words for matsu meaning pine and matsuri meaning festival) was set between July 25 and August 28, 2016.

What kind of actions will the sextuplets take on the stage of Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture? The event is likely to draw much attention from the fans this summer.

What Is “Saga Prefecture x Osomatsu-san: Saga Matsu-ri” Like?

Preceding the event in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, “Saga Matsu-ri: Izakaya in Tokyo”, was held in Ikebukuro, Tokyo for a limited period. Many fans packed the event and it enjoyed enthusiastic reception. And now the next stage for the sextuplets is Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. On the first day of the event, on July 25, no other than the sextuplets (in character suits) land in Kyushu for the first time and liven up the event (details to be announced in late July).

The festival venue will be offering stamp collection rallies including original illustration drawn for the occasion, local restaurants will be offering a“collaboration menu” with original stickers as gifts, and there will be collaboration stores selling limited edition goods, so you see it is full of events that capture the fans’ hearts.

Get “Karatsu Master Certificate “by Collecting Stamps!

When you collect stamps in the stamp rally offered in two courses, you can receive the “Karatsu Master Certificate”. How about participating in this rally in order to make a memory with the sextuplets?

1. “Niji no Matsubara Course”

The sextuplets will introduce the seven wonders of “Niji no matsubara”. Let’s take a stroll in “Niji no matsubara” while collecting stamps, one of the three major pine forests in Japan. It is supposed to be “seven wonders”, but will you come to know there are actually 8?

2. “Karatsu Castle Town Course”

In the course that wanders through Karatsu Castle and the castle town, you will look for the sextuplets, appearing in various spots. Will you be able to find all the sextuplets?

Collaborative Goods with Saga’s Local Specialties

During the event, a collaborative store will open in the middle of the shopping district. Osomatsu-san goods, Saga Prefecture’s local specialty goods, and collaborative goods between the two will be available for purchase.

“Pine Needle Cider”

“Pine needle cider” contains pine needle extract, good for health, and it comes with an original sextuplet sticker.

“Gyorokke”, Fish Croquette from Fuji River

“Gyorokke” is loved by local Karatsu people as their soul food. It looks like an ordinary croquette, but its main ingredient is fish. There will be a collaboration package of the sextuplets, and Totoko-chan.

“Matsubara Okoshi”, a rice brittle

“Matsubara okoshi” is known as a traditional sweet produced in Karatsu. You can find it by the sextuplets printed on the package.

Enjoy Saga’s Local Specialty Dishes

Karatsu is one of the major fishing ports in Japan, and you can enjoy fresh seafood. Please don’t forget trying tasty local specialty dishes during the Saga Matsu-ri.

During the event period, there will also be buses driven in Karatsu City, wrapped in pictures specifically designed for the Saga Matsu-ri. Please follow up on the detail before you visit the event, as the details will be announced later.

It has been a several months since the TV anime broadcast ended. Please don’t miss this event that offers a precious chance to run into the sextuplets in various places of the city. If you have not yet seen “Osomatsu-kun” or “Osomatsu-san”, then this is your opportunity to check it out! Official Website

About the author

Favorite genres are various aspects of Japanese otaku culture. Having been away from Japan for some time, there are many scenes where Azuki realizes the differences between international culture and Japanese culture. Through her own experience and knowledge, she hopes to deliver useful information to the international community who are interested in Japan.

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